Why Train in Pennine North West?

Why train in the Pennine North West region?

The Area:

We are based right in the foothills of Northern England’s Pennines, situated between the River Roch and the picturesque Pennine village of Uppermill. We are surrounded by dramatic moorland offering exhilarating walks across the Pennines, and on towards the Derbyshire Peak District. Our geo-location offers miles of cycle ways and bridleways for walkers and riders to recharge and unwind in the great outdoors.

A short journey away is the vibrant city of Manchester; a great place to live and visit following years of regeneration. Manchester boasts excellent amenities, including the famous Trafford Centre for shopping, museums, art galleries, restaurants and of course the home of Manchester United and Manchester City football clubs. The Area has great transport links to The Lake District and its very own Metrolink Trams.

The Pennine GPST Programme covers Bury, Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton, North Manchester & Oldham. So you will have easy access to this great countryside, where you can enjoy semi-rural general practice while still having modern shopping centres and shopping institutions such as world Famous “Bury Market”. There are fabulous restaurants and a vibrant city nightlife right on your doorstep.

The Training Programme:

The Programme is run by a dedicated, enthusiastic team of Educators, Trainers and Administrators, supported by Health Education England North West and our Hospital colleagues. The Pennine GP Training Scheme is a 3-year programme which offers a range of GP placements in Bury, North Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. These reflect the diversity of the health, social and economic needs of the local communities.

Our innovative training programme offers GP placement in rural and small town settings, and a wide variety of hospital posts across 4 sites including Fairfield General Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary and North Manchester General Hospital. Hospital placements are for six months, giving you an opportunity to gain exposure to a wide range of specialties during ST years 1&2. You will complete three hospital posts in your ST years 1 & 2.

In ST1&2 there is a Structured Education Programme which takes place each Thursday afternoon during term time. This is primarily based at Fairfield General Hospital Education Centre. This has a mixture of lectures and small group work and our innovative ‘Focus Groups’ for those Trainees in GP Plus Posts.

In GPST3 you will spend a year in a training practice to conclude your training. Ever since August 2007 it has been mandatory to pass the MRCGP exam, which in turn allows you to apply for the certificate to practice independently as a General Practitioner anywhere in the UK.

The Structured Education Programme continues in ST3 for half a day on a Thursday morning each week. This comprises of a mixture of lectures and small group work and includes our innovative ‘Virtual Surgeries’ and ‘Theme days’.

The programme offers 42 fixed tracks, with different rotations. The programme rotations are designed to be as flexible as possible in relation to individual posts. The programme is flexible allowing for Less-Than-Full-Time (LTFT) attachments, if appropriate.

Contact us:

We hope you have found all the information you may require here. However if you have any further specific questions regarding the programme please get in touch via the ‘contact us’ page here.